Fog strands yachtie

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The Kaikoura Coastguard was called out this morning after a 32 foot fibreglass yacht travelling around New Zealand hit a rock in foggy conditions.

Kaikoura Coastguard vice-president Jack Kemp said the skipper of the Cabachon, an elderly man from the Dargaville area on a solo circumnavigation trip around the country, became confused in the fog and hit a rock about 500m off the Kaikoura coast.

The Coastguard vessel assisted the yacht back to shore in South Bay where it was refuelled, he said. A Coastguard volunteer dived under the boat to inspect the hull before it sailed out to moor in South Bay.

The boat was not seriously damaged in the incident, Mr Kemp said. The hull received a scrape and there was minor damage to the rudder.

The skipper was in no rush to continue his journey and decided to rest up until the wind conditions were right for him to resume, said Mr Kemp. He would then continue on to his next port of call which would be Lyttelton.

The rescue continues a steady workload for the Kaikoura Coastguard this summer